Surgical dressing



June 1937- L. T. SAWYER SURGICAL DRESSING Filed Nov. 6, 1933 2She'ets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

' INVENTOR LESTER r SAM/YER 0.x! ATTO N June 1, 1937. 'r. SAWYERSURGICAL DRESSING Filed Nov. 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR LESTER 7.SAM/YER & 2 Afi'bRNEY Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED. STATES PATENT oFFlcES URGICAL DRESSING Lester T. Sawyer, Fitchburg, Mass. ApplicationNovember 6, 1933, Serial No. 696,846 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-268) Thisinvention relates to surgical bandages.

The general object of the invention is to provide a bandage easy toapply, easy to fix in position, economical as to both cost and quantity5 required to be used and capable of being removed with ease and withoutpainingthe bandaged person.

Heretofore strips of elastic raw rubber have been suggested for use inbandaging perhaps because of their capability of adhering surface tosurface without adhering to the skin of the user. Objects of myinvention are to provide in a surgical bandage not only the quality ofadhering surface to surface without being capable of adhering to theskin of the wearer but also the quality of substantial inelasticitywhereby the bandaged part may be held firmly without the necessity ofbeing subjected to undesired constant compression from elasticity; alsothe quality of partial porosity; and also the quality of cost economy.

In carrying out the objects of my invention I use a base fabric strip ofopen mesh textile having interstices between the meshes of substantialsize. This textile fabric strip may preferably be Woven cotton or linengauze bandaging. It is my desire that this strip be renderedcommercially permanently capable of adhering to itself, layer uponlayer, without the ability to adhere to the skin or the hair of the userand without closing the interstices so that the greatly desiredventilation be maintained in the finished bandage when in use. Incarrying out this object more is required than the application of acoating of cement. Practically all cements either on account of theirviscosity either fiow into and fill the interstices of the strip and, orshortly change so as to lose their quality of cohesion.

At first I was of the impression that a coating of latex upon thetextile fabric strip would impart to it in combination the qualities ofmy present invention. I discovered that latex in the form of a thincoating, even when protected on one side by a sheet of metal, in a fewdays lost its quality of tackiness or ability to adhere surface tosurface. This deterioration as to this quality was present in a largerdegree when latex alone was used as a coating for the threads of atextile fabric strip.

In carrying out my invention I not only employ the strength and flatlying quality of a textile fabric strip but I employ a subcoating offixing gum-like material which closely adheres to the threads of thetextile fabric strip and which 55 in addition has the quality of fixingthe quality of tackiness for a super-imposed coating of unvulcaniedlatex. This fixing subcoating may take any one of several forms. I havediscovered that a subcoating formed by two thin sheets of vulcanizedlatex pressure rolled into place is 5 suitable. I have also found that acoating of vulcanized latex in emulsion or solution from which thesolvent has been removed after the coating has been applied is alsosuitable. I have also. found that the subcoating may take the 10 form ofan applied coating of a volatile solvent solution of synthetic resinsuch as either an acetone or carbon tetrachloride solution of phenolresin.

The above and further objects of my invention 15 are pointed out in theaccompanying claims, which are directed to illustrative embodiments ofthe invention described in the specification and shown in theaccompanying drawings solely for the purpose of illustration and notlimitation. 20

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective of a roll of mybandage; Fig. 2 is a view of a finger to which my bandage has beenapplied; Fig. 3 is a finger illustrating the use of my bandage to renderuseful the use of an elastic 25 rubber intermediate portion; Fig. 4 is adiagrammatic plan view, drawn to an enlarged scale, of a fractionalportion of my bandage; Fig. 5 is a cross-section drawn to the same scaleas Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged cross- 30 section showing therelation of L1e coatings to the threads of my fabric base.

Interwoven crossing threads i and 2 have an open mesh leavinginterstices 3 of a substantial size are preferably employed in the formof 35 strips, either the desired width of the finished bandage in thefirst instance or of a wider width capable of being cut into narrowerstrips.

I first apply a subcoating 4 of a fixing gumlike substance which adheresfirmly to the threads I and 2. This subcoating must have at least twoqualities. Besides thatof adhering to the threads I and 2, it must havethe quality of substantial non-viscosity so as to stay on the threadsand not spread and bridge across the 45 interstices 3; and it must havethe quality of preserving or fixing substantially permanently stickinessor tackiness for a super-imposed coating 5 of unvulcanized latex. I Ihave-found at leastthree suitable embodiments for the subcoating 4-having this fixing capability or quality. It may comprise a coating ofvulcanized latex such as that described in United States Letters PatentNo. 1,682,857, granted Sept. 4, 1928, to Philip Schidrowitz.

This

which are preferably resilient as by being covered with a thickvulcanized rubber layer. By this expedient the subcoating l iseliminated from the interstices 3 and squeezed firmly into and onto thethreads. I and 2 solely, the interstices .being left open. I have alsofound that I may employ for this subcoating 4 a solution in somevolatile solvent, such as acetone or carbon tetra-' chloride, of phenolresin. This phenol resin subcoating may be applied by immersion and theelimination of the solvent by evaporation.

Any of the above associations used to give long life to the exposed or'outer unvulcanized latex properly may be termed an age resisting agent.

In connection with all three forms which I have described for thissubcoating 4 it should be noted that they are each either substantially"white or substantially colorless or only faintly colored so that I mayactually either tint this subcoating with suitable dye or coloringmatter the desired fiesh color and/or similarly tint the white textilefabric strip the same desired flesh color without having this fleshcolor masked by a nonalterable color such as black or dark brown whichis a concomitant of most adhesive coatings.

After the application of my fixing subcoating I super-impose a super orfinishing coating of unvulcanized latex causing it to adhere firmly tothe subcoating 4. This may be done by immersion in latex emulsion anddrying or by doubling by rolls similar to those previously described oftwo thin sheets of unvulcanized latex. In applying this outer coating 5the meshes 3 are left open so as to impart or preserve the ventilatingqualities for the finished strip A which is shown in a roll E in Fig. 1,'it being understood that the end of the roll F is exaggerated in thatthe strip rolls surface to surface without spacing and not spaced asshown.

In the use of my bandage any suitable absorbent material such as a stripof gauze may first be applied to the injured part such as finger 6; thena few turns of my special bandage holds the absorbent material in placeand the final laps I and 8 adhering together, the under side of 1 to theouter side of lap 8 terminates the bandaging and automatically holds thebandage in position.

In Fig. 3 the elastic rubber piece of bandage B is applied tothe finger6 and its tendency to roll up is eliminated by applying the edgeanchorages C andD ofmy inextensible non-rolling bandage which impartssuflicient rigidity to the end portions of the elastic rubber B to holdit in place despitethe bending of the finger knuckle.

If'desired, I may tint my final coating of unvulcanized latex anydesired color such as flesh color orv I may rely on the showing throughthis thin latex the color of the subcoating and of theunderlying colorof the textile strip. It is to be understood that I may sterilize ormedicate in any. approved manner either my finished bandage or thevarious portions, textile strip, subcoating and supercoating, as thefabricationprogresses.

aosasao What I claim and desire by United States Letters Patent is:

l.-A surgical bandage characterized by the fact that both sides of itare closely adherent one to another and are both free from thecapability of adhering to the skin of the wearer and comprising an openmesh textile fabric base and a thin closely adhering coating ofunvulcanized latex leaving most of the interstices of said open meshtextile fabric mesh open for purposes of ventilation when the bandage isin use; an underlayer of an age resisting agent rendering said coatingof latex long enduring as to the quality of tackiness with thecapability of causing said bandage to adhere surface to surface as tothe bandage itself but without the capability of adhering to the skinand hair of the user.

2. A surgical bandage characterized by the fact that both sides of itare closely adherent one to another and are both free from thecapability of adhering to the skin of the wearer and comprising an openmesh textile fabric base having interstices of substantial size, asubcoating on both sides of said textile fabric base of a fixinggum-like substance having the quality of imparting to latex longenduring cohesion, leaving most of said interstices open and serving asa fixing medium for unvulcanized latex; and an outer coating of tackyunvulcanized latex closely adhering to said subcoating of fixinggum-like substance, also leaving said interstices of said textile fabricbase open and fixed substantially permanently by said subcoating inposition and in the quality of adhering to itself without adhering tothe skin and the hair of the user.

3. A surgical bandage characterized by the fact that both sides of itare closely adherent one to anotherand are both free from the capabilityof adhering to the skin of the wearer and comprising an open meshtextile fabric base having interstices of substantial size, a subcoatingon both sides of said textile fabric base of vulcanized latex, leavingmost of said interstices open and serving as a fixing medium forunvulcanized latex; and an outer coating of tacky unvulcanized latexclosely adhering to said subcoating of vulcanized latex, also leavingsaid interstices of said textile fabric base open and fixedsubstantially permanently by said subcoating in position and in thequality of adhering to itself without adhering to the skin and the hairof the user. i

4. A cohesive surgical bandage comprising an open mesh textile fabricbase havingan incorporated substantially waterproof coating, at leastthe outer surface portion of which waterproof coating consists ofunvulcanized latex; an age resisting agent included in said waterproofcoating for maintaining tackiness for said unvulcanized latex; whichcoating leaves most of the interstices of said open mesh textile fabricopen for purposes of ventilation; and said bandage being characterizedby the fact that both sides of said bandage are closely adherent one toanother and are both freefrom' the capability of adhering to the skin ofthe wearer and by the further fact that the capability of adhering toitself of said bandage is an enduring quality.

LESTER T. SAWYER.

